<p>The GBIF portal offers overview maps for the distribution of occurrence records for each <a href="species">species or group of organisms</a>, for each <a href="country">country</a> and for each <a href="dataset">data publisher, dataset or data network</a>.  Similar maps are also offered for viewing the results of <a href="occurrence">occurrence searches</a>.</p>  

<p>Only georeferenced records are shown on maps, and records with coordinates that are not consistent with the country named in the same record are also excluded.</p>

<p>The maps show the number of records that occur in each 1.0 degree by 1.0 degree cell on the globe, and in some cases in each 0.1 degree by 0.1 degree cell.  GBIF Data Portal maps are intended as a first indication of distributions, and are not resolved further than 0.1 degree in order to keep searches rapid. Greater geospatial resolution can be obtained by exporting the data to other computer applications.</p>

<p>The maps generated within the GBIF portal show relatively little detail on underlying geography.  Such underlying detail can be obtained by exporting the data to Google Earth (see an example for a <a href="hummingbirds">hummingbird</a> or a <a href="mimosa">plant</a> species), or by downloading the data and mapping it against GIS layers.</p> 

<h5>Step-by-step guide</h5>

<ol type="1"><li> Navigate to any page showing an overview map, for example the overview page for any species (see <a href="species">Finding information about a species</a>).
</li><li> Each map shows decimal latitudes and longitudes around the edge of the image.  A small map below the main image indicates the area on the Earth depicted in the larger map.
</li><li> Each map includes a colour scale that indicates the meaning of the different colours on the map.  These colours have the same significance on all maps; darker shades indicate increasingly larger numbers of records.
</li><li> Depending on the type of search, the map may be a view of the entire world, or it may be focused on a particular region if the relevant records are restricted to a smaller area (e.g. if the map is of the records from a particular country or of a species with a restricted distribution).
</li><li> Maps always show 1.0 degree cells apart from the highest resolution view, which shows 0.1 degree cells for an area spanning two degrees of longitude and one degree of latitude.  The scale box (below the colour scale, to the right of the map) indicates the size of cells on each map.
</li><li> Moving the mouse over the map causes a red rectangle to appear.  Move the mouse to move the rectangle.  Clicking the mouse will cause the map to zoom in on the area marked by the red box (if the map is currently showing one degree cells) or to open the <a href="occurrence">occurrence search view</a> to see the records occurring within a 0.1 degree cell if the map is at high resolution.

</li><li> Click on the icon with four arrows at the top right corner of the map to zoom out again.
</li><li> Click on any of the four single arrows along the edges of the map to pan the view in that direction.
</li><li> In some cases there is a "View all..." link below the map to open the <a href="../occurrences/">occurrence search view</a> to see gereferenced records that occur within the area currently shown on the map.  In other cases, there is a count of the georeferenced records as well as a count of all records (both with and without coordinates), and some cases both.</li></ol>